(1) Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a method and related structure of reducing the amount of cotton carried away by wind during module building operations. Cotton farmers have ordinary skill in this art.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Cotton module builders 10 are well known in the related art. Cotton module builders may be more aptly described as seed cotton compactors. Cotton module builders are generally large box-shaped pieces of equipment wherein seed cotton, stripped from the plants in the field, is dumped and then compacted to form large modules. The compaction produces not only a high density of cotton in the module, but also makes easier the movement of the cotton from the field to the gin.
More specifically, cotton module builders have two sidewalls 12 and 14, a front wall 16, and a back door 18. The windward wall and leeward wall have the same length "L". The side walls and front wall each have a height "H". The module builder does not have a floor as it is against the ground that the cotton is compacted. Extending along the top of the walls are rails 20. The rails play host for a bridge 22 mechanism that has the capability of moving between the front wall and the back door. Mounted on this bridge is a packer 24 that usually comprises one or more hydraulic cylinders and a large anvil connected thereto. The purpose of this bridge and packer assembly is to level the cotton within the module builder and then pack the cotton.
Operation of a cotton module builder then is as follows. The module builder 10 is located in the field proximate to where cotton is being stripped from the plants. The module builder is placed so that a particular wall, the windward wall (not shown), always faces the direction of the prevailing wind. The other wall, the leeward wall 14, of course, faces away from the direction of the prevailing wind and also has connections for hydraulic hoses 26 that extend to and operate the bridge and packer assemblies. The back door is closed and locked.
Cotton strippers have a certain capacity for storing cotton stripped from the plants on-board, but as this capacity is filled the cotton strippers must dump their stripped cotton into the module builder, or into a cotton cart or bowl buggy that then dumps the cotton into the module builder. This dumping into the builder is accomplished by placing the cotton stripper or cotton cart near the windward wall, and then the cotton is simply dumped over the windward wall into the module builder. Once the dumping operation is complete, the cotton stripper, if used, can continue its stripping operations. Meanwhile, an operator of the module builder uses the bridge and packer assemblies to level and then compress the cotton against the ground. The internal walls of the module builder are sloped such that the upper portion of the module to be built will have a smaller size than the lower portion. In other words, the module will have a taper being wider at the bottom and smaller at the top. This operation of dumping, leveling and compressing may occur several times before enough cotton has been dumped into the module maker to complete a full size module.
Once the compressing and building of the module is complete, the back door of the module builder is unlocked and opened. Wheels on the sidewalls of the module builder move down by operation of a hydraulic cylinder to slightly raise the module builder from the ground. This raising, by virtue of the taper on the inside of the module builder removes contact of the module builder from the module itself. The module builder is then drug, usually by tractor, away from the module which remains in place and is able to slide out of the module builder by virtue of the open door.
The module builder is then set up again with the windward wall facing the prevailing wind, the back door is locked and the operation continued.
As the foregoing discussion implies, wind is a major factor in determining the placement and use of the module builder. Seed cotton, by virtue of what it is, has relatively low density for its volume. This means that cotton stripped from the plants is easily carried by wind. Although it is certainly a defensive measure to dump the stripped cotton from the cotton stripper into the module builder over the windward wall, strong winds can easily blow the cotton over the leeward wall of the module builder where it is lost unless picked up by hand.